Foods Linked to Depression

There are several emotions that can stand in the way of our food choices. Stress being one. Digestion stops when we are stressed. So if we eat in a stressed state we can overeat and stress our entire nervous system.. increasing fat and weight gain. Recent research on the ENS has revealed many groundbreaking truths about the body. For one, it has demonstrated that there may actually be a scientific link between food and feelings. (Wow, How long did this study take?)

Have you ever looked back at the time you took your first sip of coffee? I was a teenager and watched diligently as my parents drank that awful smelly stuff that filled my senses in the morning. It looked like mud, but everyone was happy after drinking it. I was feeling left out if I didn’t partake. I became addicted for many years, and it was and still is socially acceptable! Add a little cream or alcohol after dinner and you have a great latte. Besides interrupting digestion, and being endocrine disruptors ….Caffeine, sugar and alcohol can deplete magnesium, which can prevent the body from making serotonin. Serotonin keeps us happy, not caffeine.

Tips

1-Sugary foods and drinks have been noted to add to depressive states. Sugar also lowers Vitamin B12 levels in our body. When we are craving sugar nothing else will due. We give in and give up. Breaking this cycle requires a plan to be nourished and balanced with our food choices and emotions.

2-Gluten sensitivity can keep us in a depressive state just like sugar, including fatigue and musculoskeletal pains.(3)

What else is linked to depression?

1-When depressed, have anxiety or even fibromyalgia, we are most times prescribed an anti-depressant. However, did you know that these medications have the side effect of weight gain?(5) This is extremely common with anti-depressive drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft and more. This is referred to as a drug induced weight gain, leaving one quite frustrated with years of trying to lose that weight. These are obesogens at work! Endocrine disruptors can cause mood swings and interfere with how we feel on a regular basis. Long-term anti depression therapy may also affect the thyroid glands. Evidence links anti-depressants with low levels of Vitamin B12. These endocrine disruptors keep us in a depressive state and promotes weight gain.

2-Amalgam fillings can be also linked to depression. (4)

Steps to heal yourself.

When eating sugar or wheat, write down how you feel.

Anti-depressents are not the answer for mood swings caused by poor food choices.

Make healthier food choices such as adding in fruits and vegetables to your diet.